FIM MotoGP World Championship
Mugello, Italy
June 1, 2014
Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires):
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 23 laps, 41:38.254
2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -0.121 second
3. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), -2.688 seconds
4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -14.046
5. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), -15.603
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), -17.042
7. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), -17.129
8. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -27.407
9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (FORWARD YAMAHA), -41.886
10. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), -45.212
11. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), -45.433
12. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA), -45.831
13. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), -45.839
14. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), -46.834
15. Colin EDWARDS, USA (FORWARD YAMAHA), -69.554
16. Michael LAVERTY, UK (PBM-APRILIA), -77.789
17. Broc PARKES, Australia (PBM-APRILIA), -95.031
18. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (FTR-KAWASAKI), -97.501
19. Hector BARBERA, Spain (FTR-KAWASAKI), -16 laps, DNF, retired
20. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (ART-APRILIA), -17 laps, DNF, retired
21. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (DUCATI), -20 laps, DNF, crash
22. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -20 laps, DNF, crash
23. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), -21 laps, DNF, crash
World Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 18 races):
1. Marquez, 150 points
2. Rossi, 97
3. Pedrosa, 96
4. Lorenzo, 65
5. Dovizioso, 63
6. Pol Espargaro, 49
7. Aleix Espargaro, 44
8. Bradl, 39
9. TIE, Bautista/Smith/Iannone, 34
12. TIE, Nicky Hayden/Aoyama, 23
14. Hernandez, 22
15. Redding, 21
16. Crutchlow, 15
17. Abraham, 13
18. Edwards, 8
19. Pirro, 5
20. TIE, Petrucci/Barbera, 2
22. Parkes, 1
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marquez makes it six out of six in spectacular finale
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has once again taken more records, continuing his flawless start to 2014 with his sixth win in as many races. Teammate Dani Pedrosa, still suffering after his recent arm surgery, finished fourth after losing time battling with other riders in the early laps.
From the start Marc dropped back to third briefly – and Dani down to eighth – but on lap three he passed Iannone and slotted in behind Lorenzo, with Dani passing Crutchlow into seventh. Whilst closing the gap to Lorenzo, Marc recorded the fastest lap of the race on lap five (1’47.892) and the race began to find some rhythm, briefly.
Dani passed Dovizioso, Pol Espargaro and Andrea Iannone over the course of four laps, but Iannone – using the super soft rear tyre – was able to pass him back. During laps eleven to thirteen, the two riders battled for fourth position with Dani finally able to pass and open a gap on lap fourteen. Then on lap seventeen Marc made his move on Lorenzo. An epic battle ensued with the two riders passing each other a total of eleven times over the final seven laps, racing within inches of each other at one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. Marc made his final pass on the last lap and led to the chequered flag, beating Lorenzo by just 0.121s.
With today’s victory, Marc has become the sixth rider ever – and the first since Rossi in 2002 (also on a Honda) – to win six successive races in the premier class (along with Agostini, Hailwood, Surtees and Doohan). He is also the youngest ever rider to achieve this (21 years and 104 days) taking the record from Rossi (23 years and 148 days) when he took the sixth of seven successive wins in 2002. He has also equalled the number of career victories achieved by John Surtees, who won a total of seven World titles (four in the 500cc class and three in the 350cc class), making him the joint 14th most successful GP rider of all-time in terms of Grand Prix wins. With his tally of 150 points, Marc now extends his lead in the Championship by 53 points over second place Rossi (97), with Dani dropping to third place, just one point off the Italian.
TEAM QUOTES
Marc Marquez
1st – Championship Standing: 1st – 125 points
“I am very happy with this win; Jorge and I had a really good battle and had a lot of fun out there! I wasn’t expecting the victory, because it has come at a circuit that I had marked on the calendar as being one for picking up Championship points – not thinking about winning the race. However, I saw that it would be possible and took more risks than at other races, because Jorge and Vale were very fast and we were finding it difficult to keep up the same pace. I think that we did a great job all weekend, and the change that we made to sixth gear in the warmup was very important too; we did this to help pass using a slipstream at the end of the straight. I am very pleased with how the entire weekend went, and now it is time to look ahead to my home Grand Prix – racing at Montmelo is always special”
Dani Pedrosa
4th – Championship Standing: 3rd – 96 points
“It was a tough race and I wasn’t able to get the result that I was hoping for here. My arm is still causing me issues and I wasn’t able to push one hundred percent so thanks to my team for their patience whilst I still recover. The race today was interesting, and I congratulate Marc and Jorge for a nice battle! I think that it is positive to see that we are up there fighting and that we have improved on a few things. Now we have to continue working so that we can be up in the leading group as well, and have some fun with them, but I need to be physically 100% to be able to do so. Tomorrow I will go for a check up with Dr. Mir and hope to be fitter in time for Montmelo in two weeks time”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Mugello (Italy), 1st June 2014
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo made a stunning return to form today, taking second place in the Gran Premio d’Italia after an epic battle with rival Marc Marquez.
Teammate Valentino Rossi made good on a challenging 10th position grid start to take a well deserved third place podium finish for his 300th Grand Prix appearance.
The drama started before the first corner for Lorenzo as the riders bunched over the crest off the start line. He was quick to recover and fought his way through the first turn to close down and pass Andrea Iannone for the lead.
Having secured the front Lorenzo then proved he was back on form, delivering lap after lap of perfect lines with Marquez in pursuit. Even with less than 0.3 of a second between them it wasn’t until the last seven laps that Marquez was able to make a move. An incredible Spanish duel then began with the two trading places numerous times, Lorenzo always able to answer any attack from Marquez with a response of his own. The two took it to the wire, Marquez entering the last straight slightly ahead and able to hold it to the line, leaving Jorge in second, just 0.121seconds behind.
Home hero Rossi was not to be daunted by a 10th place grid position on his 300th Grand Prix start. The nine-time world champion had taken three positions by the first corner and was up into fifth place by the second lap. He made short work of dispatching Andrea Dovizioso for fourth and then with 20 laps to go passed Iannone to move up into third. By this time Lorenzo and Marquez were too far in front to catch however he remained less than three seconds behind them, hinting at what could have been with a better grid start. He completed the podium in third to the roar of the bumper Mugello crowd, just 2.688 seconds from Marquez.
Lorenzo’s stunning performance takes 20 points and moves him up into fourth in the championship standings on 65 points, 31 behind Dani Pedrosa in third.
Rossi’s impressive comeback from tenth to the podium earns him 16 points and moves him up into second place in the championship standings, 53 behind Marquez.
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP now move to Barcelona in two weeks time for Lorenzo’s second home race of the year.
Jorge Lorenzo
2nd / +0.121 / 23 laps
“I’m happy, I could be more happy if I had won but I tried my best. Probably in the last corner I should have stayed more in the inside to try to overtake him on the inside line but I made a mistake and went wider and it was impossible to overtake him on the straight. When I feel physically strong and the bike has a small improvement I can be there and fight with him. We have some margin, some physical condition to improve for me and the bike can make another step so we will get better. I’ve worked really hard to be more physically fit and the team also worked very hard this weekend to give me a great bike, so thank you to them.”
Valentino Rossi
3rd / +2.688 / 23 laps
“Today was a great day for all the people and for MotoGP. Mugello is one of the greatest race tracks in the world; a lot of people around and the race was very funny with a great battle between Jorge and Marc. I wasn’t too far from them and all the people were happy for my podium. It is a great emotion as always, it was a solid race from fourth row to third. I think I had the chance to battle with them but unfortunately we made a mistake yesterday in practice but we will try in Barcelona again. The podium in Mugello is always fantastic, it’s the most special moment of the season, it’s like a great concert. It’s a great party for MotoGP and motorcycling because the passion in Italy is amazing. This is my 300th GP, so I’m in the middle of my career, another 300 before the end!”
Massimo Meregalli
“It was an amazing race; it was great to see Jorge lead from early on and then fight in such an amazing way at the end. He has proved he is back both physically and mentally. He never gave up and he really did everything he could. We finished second but with the same feeling as if a victory. Now we are going to Barcelona, where it looks like it’s going to be another interesting race. Vale rode a really good race. We had some troubles over the weekend and we made it harder for ourselves. Starting from the fourth row he knew he had to push strongly from the beginning and he did so, quickly getting up into third and holding it to the end to take his podium and move up to second in the championship. It has been a good weekend overall for our first home race, I want to thank all the team for their hard work to achieve the results of today. We leave here impressed with the performance of both our riders and looking forward to another strong battle in Barcelona in two weeks time.”
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Marquez emerges victorious in magical Mugello duel
Round 6: Italian MotoGP™ – Race
Mugello, Sunday June 1 2014
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 23-23°C; Track 46-47°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez maintained his perfect victory record in 2014 at the Italian Grand Prix, after narrowly beating Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo to the chequered flag at Mugello.
Marquez and Lorenzo traded the race lead numerous times in an exciting dogfight at the front of the field, with Marquez squeezing his way past Lorenzo on the entry into turn one on the final lap for the race-winning pass. The battle between the two Spanish stars continued all the way to the finish line with Marquez taking the chequered flag 0.120 seconds ahead of Lorenzo. Rounding out the podium in his three-hundredth Grand Prix appearance was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi, who carved through the field after starting from tenth on the grid. All riders on the podium used the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks.
Today’s Italian Grand Prix took place under sunny skies, with track temperatures reaching a slightly higher level than recorded yesterday, with a high of 47°C at the start of the race. Race tyre choice was practically a carbon-copy of what the riders used during yesterday’s Free Practice 4 session, with all of the riders selecting the medium compound front slick for the race. Rear tyre choice for the race was almost evenly split across the field, with twelve of the twenty-three riders selecting the soft compound rear slick, and the remaining eleven riders opting for the medium compound rear slick.
Marquez now has 150 championship points and enjoys a fifty-three point lead over Rossi, who moves up to second place in the standings following his third successive podium. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa now sits third on the championship table and one point adrift of Rossi, after finishing in fourth place at Mugello.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“That was an amazing race between two riders at the peak of their powers. Congratulations to Honda and Marc for taking another victory, and also to Yamaha for their strong showing this weekend with two riders on the podium. Today’s race was a special treat for MotoGP fans around the world and having such a close battle at the front of the field will surely help ensure a large crowd at the next race in Montmelo.”
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Track temperatures today were almost the same as yesterday, which resulted in every rider using their favoured tyre combination from Saturday’s practice sessions. As expected, the medium compound front slick was the standard choice for the whole grid, and only the soft and medium rear slicks were used by riders today. I am really happy with how our tyres performed today, as quite a few riders were able to set their quickest lap in the second half of the race and the whole of the field experiencing little drop off in performance over the twenty-three lap race distance.”
Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda – Race Winner
“I think this was the toughest race of the year for me, I struggled particularly in the beginning of the race and Jorge was really strong in the middle of the corner, he was able to keep a strong pace. But then, with the used tyre I started to feel better and in the warm-up we made a small change to my gearing which worked very well in the race. I’m very happy for the team as well, as the change they made to my bike helped me to victory. We will enjoy this moment and go now to the next race at my home track ready to fight for another victory.”
More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:
Twelve place from finish line. The best race of the season for Karel Abraham
Exciting race and a great result. Karel Abraham takes 4 points and the best finish of season after successful battle with Hiroshi Aoyama and Scott Redding that he has definitely won in last lap on Italian circuit in Mugello. The Czech rider also won unofficial battle of the best rider on the production bike of Honda.
Karel Abraham
„Well, this is exactly the result we dreamed about. It´s not only about the final position, I enjoyed the race, I fought against another open Honda riders and all of this is very important for me as well as for the team. I´m little bit disappointed that we can´t fight against Ducati riders. We can beat them in corners, but we don´t have enough power at the straights. I rode almost whole race behind Michele Pirro and can´t overtake him. On the contrary he beat Scott Redding riding on the same bike as mine.”
Marco Grana, Cardion AB chief mechanic
“We made fantastic race. This is what we have waiting for more than two years. After all the problems with Ducati, after series of injuries, after long rehabilitation of Karel´s shoulder, we are back. Let´s say it was not easy. Track condition changed a lot from Saturday. The track was quite hot, but our bike worked well. We found good basic setup, which we can use in future and build on it. This result is also really important for Karel´s self-confidence. Now I hope we will be able to stay on the top of Honda riders in Barcelona and in the following races. To beat this target we must work hardly on starts. This is the discipline where we losing a lot. I must express our thanks to Honda. After this race we can say, that we made good choice for this season. I hope that Honda will keep working on their engines to be more competitive against Ducati bikes. Then we can get even better.”
More, from a press release issued by Drive M7 Aspar Honda:
HIROSHI AOYAMA CONTINUES PICKING UP POINTS
DRIVE M7 Aspar places fourteenth in Italy and claims two further points, keeping up a perfect points-scoring record so far this season
An excellent race at Mugello played out in front of packed grandstands in the Tuscan hills, with Marc Márquez and Jorge Lorenzo putting on a sensational display at the sixth round of the 2014 MotoGP season. It was possibly the most exciting race of the season to date, and was certainly the closest as little over than a tenth of a second separated the duo at the end. Lorenzo pushed hard early on with a series of race fastest laps, with Andrea Iannone high up the order and Valentino Rossi gaining places on the opening corners. There was plenty of excitement in the early going, but it appeared as if by lap three the race was over as a spectacle. However, that would not be the case, as Márquez chased down Lorenzo with a fastest lap of his own, reaching him on Lap 5. The two rode by themselves, with Rossi watching from close behind. On Lap 17 Márquez pushed to break away, but Lorenzo kept with him and there were a series of great overtaking moves to savour. At the start of the final lap, Márquez made the definitive pass, taking the victory. From the podium, he, Lorenzo and Rossi saluted the fans who had invaded the track.
Hiroshi Aoyama took his sixth points-scoring finish from as many races with another solid showing at Mugello. He has a total of 23 to his name so far in 2014. The Italian Grand Prix was a tough one for the DRIVE M7 Aspar rider, as he focused on keeping up a consistent pace despite difficulties. He crossed the line fourteenth, taking two points for his tally.
14th Hiroshi Aoyama: “This morning we tried a different setup to that which we used yesterday in the qualifying session. We liked it a lot, so we decided to keep it for the race. But when it came to race time, the condition of the track had changed a lot and the temperature had risen substantially. During the race we suffered from a lack of grip with the rear, and it was hard for me to keep up my pace. I tried to be consistent and stay with the group that I was in. It was difficult and I had two moments in which I was close to crashing. In the end I decided to be prudent, as I wanted to finish the race and keep scoring points.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Double top ten for the Pramac Racing Team: Andrea Iannone seventh, tenth Yonny Hernandez
A beautiful sunny day, a warm audience and a grandstand entirely dedicated to the employees of PR Pramac industrial group, was the background of this Sunday’s Italian MotoGP race at Mugello. A special tribute to the great champion Marco Simoncelli started off the races this morning. The young riders of the Pramac Racing Team, have faced and concluded this long weekend bringing home good results.
Andrea Iannone – Pramac Racing – started from the second position on the grid, stood up to the top riders immediately gaining first position. In the second half of the race, he fought hard to maintain the fourth position, facing his opponents with great skill and finishing the race in seventh place.
Yonny Hernandez – EnergyT.I . Pramac Racing – demonstrated his abilities giving his best riding his GP13, bringing home a good result. The Colombian rider right from first corners gains the eleventh position and continues to fight with his opponents for the top ten having the best out of it finishing the race in tenth place, with his best result of the season.
Andrea Iannone ( Pramac Racing)
“I’m happy to have done the first laps in the top positions in front of my fans. When the race ended my team and guests told me that the audience exulted for all my overtaking, this makes me proud, the warmth of the audience always gives me a boost. We had a good race but I could not have keep up with the pace of the Honda and Yamaha. Unfortunately I struggled a bit over the last seven laps because of worn out tire, but I worked hard to give my best. “
Yonny Hernandez ( EnergyT.I . Pramac Racing)
“I am happy I arrived in tenth position, this is a great result for me, the best since I’ve been on this team. We have worked hard to develop the bike for this race and in the end we got a good result. The best possible with this bike. “
More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:
Espargaro, first open at the Italian GP
The NGM Forward Racing Team closed once as again as first open on the fast and demanding Mugello track. As we saw in the weekend, it was not an easy race for Aleix Espargaro and Colin Edwards who finished respectively in 9th and 15th positions. With this result, Aleix maintains the seventh position in the championship with 44 points, while Forward is 4th in the Constructor classification after the three Manufactures (Honda, Yamaha and Ducati).
Starting from the 4th row, lap by lap Aleix Espargaro recovered some positions and despite struggling during the whole race with the traction control, he succeeded to maintain his position and finish 9th.
It was a tough race also for team mate Colin Edwards, who despite the electronics problems finished the race in 15th position.
Colin Edwards:
“The good point was actually that we did finish the race after having struggled with fuel problems from the beginning of the season. I’m satisfied for this, but we need to keep on working with the electronics because today we struggled a lot with the traction control and the bike was sliding a lot. Anyway this weekend we did a complete test with the new chassis. Now we will look at the data and we will keep on working at Montmelo.”
Aleix Espargaro:
“It was a difficult race. We struggled the whole weekend with the electronics control and today in particular I had a problem with the traction control. I couldn’t push and control the bike as I wanted so I tried to maintain the calm and get the best possible result. We will keep on working and I hope that we can make a step forward for the next race in Catalunya, my home GP.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
UNFORTUNATE WEEKEND FOR STEFAN BRADL AT MUGELLO GP
Mugello, 1 June: LCR Honda’ Stefan Bradl did not enjoy his Italian weekend at Mugello circuit this year especially today when he suffered two heavy crashes, initially in the warm up session and later in the race. The German was the involuntary protagonist of a tremendous high-side this morning during the 20-min warm up session from which he escaped unharmed but considerably bruised. He steadily started from the ninth spot on the grid but went down on lap four, hit by Crutchlow’s bike.
Stefan: “I am speechless. I was anxious to race here in Mugello but now I want to forget this weekend as soon as possible. This morning I had a massive crash in the warm up session and I had to deal with the pain in the race (especially the right arm and the elbow). The feeling with the bike was good but after the start, in the first corner, I went wide loosing three positions. After that I was preparing to overtake the guys in front of me but suddenly in the second chicane on turn five Crutchlow crashed and his bike tumbled in the track and I was not able to avoid it. His bike hit me in the back and I had another big crash similar to this morning. This morning at 360° and this afternoon at 180° so I will leave Italy with zero points and a lot of pain. Once again I must thank the Team for their efforts and all the LCR supporters for their affection”.
More, from a press release issued by Scott Redding’s publicist:
Scott rues a lack of straight line speed at Mugello
Mugello, Italy – 1 June 2014: Scott Redding picked up more championship points with 13th place at Mugello today, but the 21-year-old Briton was left frustrated by a lack of straight line speed compared to his rivals.
Early in the race Scott chased down Aleix Espargaro and eventually passed the Spaniard, but the lack of outright top speed from the Honda RCV1000R proved to be a major disadvantage once again. First Espargaro, then Hernandez, used the superior power of their prototype machines to blast past on the straight.
A battle on track with Hernandez and Michele Pirro then ensued, with Scott again losing out to the superior speed of the Ducati prototype machines on the straight, as he tried to tuck in behind a screen that was broken after he caught it with his head just nine laps into the race.
It was a frustrating race for Scott, after two solid days of work at Mugello, but the Briton is now focussed on the next race in Barcelona, although it will be another new track for him to learn aboard the MotoGP bike.
Scott Redding // 13th
“The beginning of the race was really good, I had a good rhythm and I was running with Aleix, and I also overtook him during the race, that is a good step forward for us. But then i got stuck with Hernandez and Pirro’s Ducatis, losing so much time in the straight. I tried to pass them early in the lap in order to make a gap, but it was quite hard. After 8 or 9 laps I also broke the windscreen, so I had a really bad aerodynamics, and also a lot of turbulence on the head and that made my race more difficult. In the end I’m happy with my race, I’m just disappointed to be behind the two Ducatis and Abraham because I know we could get the top ten today.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Marquez comes out on top in dramatic duel with Lorenzo
An intriguing duel between Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) saw the former come out on top at Mugello, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) joining them on the podium at his 300th Grand Prix.
The two Spaniards put on a great show in front of the Italian crowd, battling for the lead for several laps, only for Marquez to clinch a sixth successive victory in 2014 by 0.121s on the final lap.
At his 300th race the yellow sea of fans were willing Rossi to capitalise on any mistake from the front two, and although The Doctor had to settle for third by just under three seconds it was still a great ride for him from 10th on the grid.
Earlier in the day the only other rider to have reached 300 Grands Prix, Rossi’s friend Loris Capirossi, had ridden an emotional tribute lap for the late Marco Simoncelli – now a MotoGP™ Legend – on a Honda Gresini bike.
With Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and impressive rookie Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) the next two across the finishing line after Rossi – albeit more than 10 seconds back – there were four Spaniards in the top five.
Behind them Italians Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) also got great support from the crowd en route to sixth and seventh respectively, with Iannone making a brilliant start and leading in the early stages having started second on the grid.
The top ten was completed by Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing).
Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Michel Fabrizio (Octo IodaRacing Team) both retired from the race with technical problems.
Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) crashed out on lap 4, but walked away unharmed. Shortly afterwards Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) and Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) went down, with the german being hit by the Englishman’s bike as it slid across the track, with both riders fortunately avoided injury.
Moto2™: Calculated ride gives Rabat Italian win
Tito Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) got his tactics just right at Mugello, winning the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM Moto2™ race by 0.248s from Luis Salom (Pons HP 40), with Jonas Folger(AGR Team) crossing the line third.
Rabat produced his best lap of the race on his penultimate circulation having come from third position at two-thirds race distance, to overtake his less experienced rivals. The championship leader extended his standings lead to 22 points with his third victory of 2014, further underlining his World title credentials.
Rookies Salom and Folger both produced excellent rides, each leading the race before Rabat took control.
An intriguing battle for fourth place in the final stages saw Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing) outpace Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) by just 0.007s, with Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team) finishing just behind that pair.
Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing), Sam Lowes (Speed Up), Maverick Viñales (Pons HP 40) and Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team) all featured in the top ten.
Josh Herrin (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) crashed out early on, Mattia Pasini (NGM Forward Racing) also slid out mid race, with Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) another non-finisher due to an incident which also involved Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) – though the Japanese rider stayed upright to eventually finish 16th.
Moto3™: Victory for Fenati in Mugello sunshine
Another fantastic Moto3™ race concluded with victory for Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM, with Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team) and Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) joining him on the podium.
The talented Italian teenager held his nerve to win his home race whilst sporting a special red, white and green Italian livery, clinching maximum points by just 0.01s from Viñales, who himself beat Rins by virtue of a faster best lap as they crossed the line together.
A last lap crash between championship leader Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Enea Bastianini (Junior Team Go&FUN Moto3) saw them all miss out on the points, with Miller therefore seeing his standings advantage cut to just five points.
The top five also featured Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing) and Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo), as they both crossed the line within 0.3s of race winner Fenati.
Going into the final laps, before Miller, Marquez and Bastianini crashed out, there were 13 riders split by just 1.5s, with Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold), Alessandro Tonucci (CIP Mahindra), Juanfran Guevara (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3), Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing) and Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) eventually completing the top ten.
Hafiq Azmi, John McPhee and Niccolo Antonelli all crashed out, with Jakub Kornfeil getting tangled up in Antonelli’s accident and later retiring due to a technical problem. Francesco Bagnaia also pulled off with a technical issue midrace, whilst Bryan Schouten finished 21st after starting from pit lane due to problems on the line.
Efren Vazquez recovered well to finish 12th after jump starting and having to ride through pit lane as a penalty.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Sixth place for Dovizioso in Italian GP at Mugello, while Crutchlow crashes out
A sixth place finish and a retirement were the results of the two Ducati Team riders in today’s Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, where the sixth round of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship was held.
Andrea Dovizioso began the 23-lap race well, with a good start from eighth on the grid and at the end of lap 1 he crossed the line in fourth place. For several laps the Italian managed to stay with the leading group, but he was then passed by three more riders and he remained almost all the race in seventh place. During the last lap however Dovi managed to pass his fellow Ducati rider Andrea Iannone to finish in sixth.
His team-mate Cal Crutchlow, who started from row 2, was on the other hand forced to retire after a crash on lap 4. The British rider was in eighth place when he lost the front and slid down the track. His GP14 machine then hit Bradl’s bike, causing the German to retire.
Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro finished his race in eleventh place. The Italian focussed mainly on bringing his GP14 ‘lab’ bike to the chequered flag.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 6th
“I think I did as much as I could today in the race. In the end we didn’t go that bad, considering the gap from the leaders: we managed to improve our race time by three and a half seconds over last year’s, and this is a positive fact. The race at Mugello, as always, was really tough but that’s what makes it great. It was a really tough battle with Pedrosa, Espargarò and Iannone. I was helped a lot by the horsepower we had on the straight, and I did some great braking moves at the San Donato curve. In the end we brought home the best result that we could have obtained today.”
Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – DNF
“I’m obviously very disappointed to only last three laps, especially in Ducati’s home race at Mugello. We found a good set-up in the morning warm-up and we were able to be competitive in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately I pushed a little too hard in one of the chicanes and lost the front. We need to look at the best way to go forward from Barcelona with the settings and the bike and make me feel more comfortable.”
Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51) – 11th
“I managed to finish the race and this is important because at Jerez I didn’t finish, and here we had to obtain important data on some technical solutions we fitted to my GP14. For this reason I tried not to make any mistakes and to finish the race at all costs. For sure I could have got a tenth place and in fact I had even hoped for something better. A big thanks to the team for the job they did and I hope that I’ll be able to get a better result in a couple of weeks’ time at Barcelona.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“Obviously today’s results are below expectations, especially at this circuit which is like a home track for Ducati. Unfortunately Cal lost the front in the early stages, while Andrea gave his all but was unable to fight for the positions he would have liked. We must be patient: we know we still have to improve a lot, but we will work hard and we are confident for the future.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Espargaro shines as leading satellite bike with 5th in Mugello
Pol Espargaro today delivered another impressive performance at the legendary Mugello circuit in Tuscany by riding to a well calculated and expertly executed 5th position for round 6 of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. The reigning Moto2 World champion began the challenge from 5th place on the grid and found himself in the leading group, maintaining the same position for the opening laps. As he set into his increasingly confident race pace, the Spaniard kept fighting with vastly more experienced riders such as Andrea Dovisioso and Dani Pedrosa. Honda rider Pedrosa eventually overtook Espargaro, before the rookie remained calm and seized 5th position back by passing Andrea Iannone on lap 18. He then put his head down and put in a series of consistent lap times to ensure that the chasing Dovisioso could not threaten him. Espargaro’s determined efforts saw him cross the line as the leading satellite rider and only a second and a half back from Dani Pedrosa’s 4th position. The 22-year-old’s 5th place at Mugello elevates him to 6th position in the point standings and sees him as leading non-factory MotoGP rider so far in the 2014 Championship.
Bradley Smith’s weekend full of promise ended prematurely with an unfortunate crash during the second lap of the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM Grand Prix at Mugello. Having made strides forward during the qualifying and free practice sessions with the Yamaha YZR-M1 that he is increasingly confident with, Smith pulled off a positive qualifying performance of 7th. Here he was in prime contention to confidently battle for the top five and upwards. Yet, after starting the Grand Prix and ending the first lap in 9th Smith’s luck ran out and he fell, drawing a disappointing end to an otherwise highly positive weekend. The 23 year old will head to Catalunya next week where he will intend to amend his lack of fortune at Mugello with a high scoring finish.
Pol Espargaro
Race : 5thChampionship : 6thPoints : 49
“Obviously I have to be really happy with today’s result. We managed to finish ‘best of the rest’ just behind the four factory bikes which is a great achievement. I struggled a lot to pass the Ducati of Iannone so unfortunately Dani was already too far ahead and even if I tried to catch him I could not close the gap completely. But I think altogether we really have to be proud of the work done so far, especially considering how the weekend went with two crashes and one session less due to the weather on Friday. The team did a great job and I really want to thank them as we were able to repeat the result from Le Mans. Now we will head full of confidence to my home race in Catalunya where I will give it my all to be even closer to the front than today.”
Bradley Smith
Race : DNFChampionship : 10thPoints : 34
“I would love to have something more to say, but I think it was just a case of having the wrong tyre. I was using the hard compound in the front that we had previously ran in FP3 and which made me crash after doing a mistake at the last corner. Therefore, the initial feedback was not that great and I much preferred the soft option but as the track conditions were quite hot today we were recommended the use to the hard tyre like everyone else, so we followed the suggestion. Unfortunately though I’m not used to that tyre on this track and also, I felt like it didn’t work with my riding style. The front tucked at the Arrabbiata 1 which was turn 8 but in all honesty there wasn’t much I could do about it. It’s very frustrating as I had the race pace to get a really good result but from the first lap I could feel that things weren’t going to plan. Now we will wait for Barcelona where I am confident that everything will improve.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :
“What a race, it was by far the best race of the year. The fighting between Marquez and Lorenzo was incredible and we finally saw Jorge back to his best. Of course, it will make things harder for Brad and Pol to get higher up, but it will be great for the sport. As for our Tech3 race I am very happy with Pol’s performance. After finishing 4th at Le Mans he has proven that he is definitely a fighter. I was a bit worried about him being followed by Dovizioso who is such a difficult rider to beat and particularly dangerous towards the end of a race. But Pol not only kept him behind, he also managed to pass Iannone. The 5th place is great and underlines the progress Pol is making step by step. As a team we are very happy and proud of him and I’m convinced he will have some even stronger races in the future. On the other side of the garage, it was a big shame with what happened to Bradley as in terms of lap times he was really close to the top 5 and could have easily scored at least another top 8 here in Mugello. I think he was a bit more nervous than usual and hopefully this is not a turning point. He just needs to keep his head down, remain focused and finish races. Luckily the next opportunity to do so is coming soon in Catalunya which is normally a track that suits Yamahas so I’m sure our riders will be once again able to put on a good show.”